Hisba Bill tabled in NWFP Assembly as angry MPAs throw Copies
Pakistan Times National News Desk

PESHAWAR: The controversial Hisba Bill was presented in the NWFP Assembly on Monday amid strong resistance from the joint opposition members who hurled copies of the agenda towards a minister. As the speaker invited Law Minister Malik Zafar Azam to introduce the bill, almost all the opposition members stood up and started shouting slogans.

The treasury members, however, welcomed the minister with the thumbing of desks and termed the bill a step towards establishment of a true Islamic society for which the people have voted them into power.

NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani was not present due to his earlier scheduled official visit to the US. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman, along with senior party leaders especially came to the provincial assembly, witnessed the presentation of the bill.

Soon after the presentation of the bill, the Minister for law and parliamentary affairs accused the ANP MPA, Khalil Abbass, of throwing the copies of the bill.

The MPA, however, challenged the Minister on the score, saying he would quit the assembly seat if it was proved that he had thrown any piece of paper towards him. This, he said, could be confirmed from the assembly cameras or press photographers. But the minister would have to quit if he failed to prove his assertion against him, he said.

Keeping in view the unending controversy, Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan adjourned the proceedings for tea break but the infuriated MMA MPAs, including Maulana Muhammad Idrees and Maulana Amanat Shah, raised the issue again and asked those who had thrown the copies of the bill to seek forgiveness from God as well as from 20 million Muslims in the province and 140 million in Pakistan.

They demanded strict punishment for those insulting the names of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and Allah Almighty. The ANP parliamentary leader, Bashir Bilour, said they all were better Muslims than MMA leaders. He recounted his elders' struggle against the British rule and asked the chair to hold investigation as to who had thrown what towards whom?

The papers thrown, he said, were the day's agenda and not the copies of the Hisba Bill. The minority MPA, Gur Sarang Lal, deplored that minorities were being accused of desecration and their temples burnt but here the holy names were being thrown.

Opposition Leader in the NWFP Assembly Shahzada Gustasip said the Muslims on both sides could not even think of desecration and asked the government members to avoid levelling such allegations as the ANP MPAs had already challenged the minister's statement.

The situation went out of control when almost all the opposition members, including the opposition leader, Shahzada Gustasip, Abdul Akbar Khan, Bashir Bilour, Mushtaq Ghani, Sikandar Sherpao, Murid Kazim, Nighat Orakzai and provincial ministers Malik Zafar Azam, Sardar Muhammad Idrees, Maulana Asmatullah, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, Amanat Shah and Maulana Musammar Shah, stood up and started arguments and counter arguments.

The speaker whose repeated pronouncements of "order, order" remained unheeded, warned the government ministers to keep decorum of the House, otherwise he would not preside the session in future. He said he would quit speakership if the members would not respect the august House.

Shahzada Gustasip said the opposition got more votes than that of the MMA in previous elections. Since all the major opposition parties had rejected the bill, he said, the people would not celebrate its presentation.

The MMA rulers wanted to establish one party rule and create jobs for their own party workers, he said. ANP Parliamentary Leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour accused the MMA rulers of leading the province towards "Talbanisation and Mullaism". He said this would not be allowed at any cost.

"We will not boycott the proceedings but oppose each and every section of Hisba Bill to protect the basic human rights of people," he said. The PPPP parliamentary leader, Abdul Akbar Khan, said an unqualified religious scholar would be appointed as Mohtasib. He said Mohtasib would know nothing about law but decide cases and he would victimise his political opponents.

He said the entire laws even this assembly would be subservient to the newly-established Hasba institution. Murid Kazim and Sikandar Sherpao of PPP-S said the MMA rulers should have implemented the already passed Shariat Bill.

"We will oppose it because the rulers wanted to reform the society by awarding punishment to citizens," Sherpao said adding, "The MMA rulers first present themselves as role model for others and then talk about reforming the society."

He accused the MMA rulers of usurping the rights of elected people and empowering un-elected people through establishing an unconstitutional institution. He said they would oppose the Hisba Bill at every forum and also consult legal experts to challenge it in a court of law.●